NBA Star DeMar DeRozan Sets an Example for Teens Battling Depression

Adam Sebastian ‘19: Depression, known as feeling of severe despondency, dejection, and loss of interest in activities, strangles the mind of the three hundred million people worldwide. Individuals with depression hide behind the mask they’ve spent so many years building up. This persona they trick others into believing truly isn’t them. It seems as if they’re gilded. Beaming, confident and fun-loving on the outside while on the inside they remain oppressed and beaten by the stresses of the disease. Depression remains a secret for many who struggle with the symptoms. No one else learns about their continuous battle against themselves.

“[Depression is] a very big problem,” Nick Brasza ‘19 said. “There is no perfect person, everyone has their struggles.”

According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), Depression affects about twenty-percent of all adolescents. A depression diagnosis brings along many possible symptoms along with it. Some of the alarming symptoms include emotional changes like feelings of hopelessness and emptiness and more recognizable behavioral changes such as social isolation and insomnia.

Four-time NBA All-Star and 2018 All-Star starter DeMar Derozan recently opened up about his battle with depression via a tweet from February 17.

“This depression gets the best of me…” DeRozan tweeted.

DeRozan admits that his depression often becomes overwhelming for him.

“It’s one of them things that no matter how indestructible we look like we are, we’re all human at the end of the day,” Derozan told The Toronto Star in an exclusive interview. “We all got feelings … all of that. Sometimes … it gets the best of you, [some] times everything in the whole world’s on top of you.”

DeRozan uses advice he received from his mother, Diane DeRozan, as inspiration to continue his battle with depression today.

“My mom always told me: Never make fun of anybody because you never know what that person is going through,” DeRozan explains.

Depression affects more than just adults. Depression affects teens within our own school. However, a majority of these teens keep their struggle a secret and never recieve help for such a serious problem. Seeking out support may prove vital during a teenagers fight against depression. Various types of support range from medical help to simply talking to an individual who cares about you.

“[If you have depression,] talk to someone close and tell them everything,” Brasza said. It feels good to reveal your problems to someone else.”

NBA All-Star DeMar DeRozan showed great signs of courage while opening up with his battle about depression. DeRozan provides inspiration to teenagers everywhere who continuously battle depression.

“[DeRozan showed] that everyone has struggles,” Brasza explained. “It is good because people who have depression want to be perfect like other people but, no one is perfect and even famous people struggle.”

Depression is not a battle to be fought alone. Support and confidence is always needed. Even celebrities such as DeMar DeRozan verify the difficulty of fighting this battle alone. DeRozan shares his struggles in hopes of providing inspiration to the three hundred million individuals worldwide to end their one-on-one battle and embrace support with open arms.